SYDNEY - The man who fatally stabbed six people in a random attack in Sydney had mental health issues in the past and there is no indication ideology was a motive in the attack in one of the city’s busiest shopping centres, the police said on April 14.

The attacker, identified by the police as 40-year-old Joel Cauchi, was known to the police in the neighbouring state of Queensland.

New South Wales (NSW) and Queensland police spoke to his family after the April 13 attack.

His family recognised him and contacted the police on April 13 after seeing news reports of the killings.

“The family, when they viewed footage of the event on TV, thought that may well have been their son, and they reached out to authorities,” said Queensland Police Assistant Commissioner Roger Lowe.

The family said they were devastated by his actions, expressing condolences to the victims and the police officer who shot him dead.

“Joel’s actions were truly horrific, and we are still trying to comprehend what has happened,” the family said in a statement. “He has battled with mental health issues since he was a teenager.”

‘Terrible scene’

Witnesses said the assailant, Cauchi, wore shorts and an Australian national rugby league jersey. He was seen running through Westfield Bondi Junction mall with a knife, randomly attacking people.

Some shoppers and staff at the mall tried to stop him, and crowds sheltered in shuttered shops.

Cauchi fatally knifed six people and injured at least 12 before he was shot dead by a senior female police officer who confronted him solo while he was on the rampage.

“This was a terrible scene,” NSW Police Assistant Commissioner Anthony Cooke told a media conference on April 14.

“There is still to this point nothing that we have, no information we received, no evidence we have recovered or intelligence that we have gathered, that would suggest that this was driven by any particular motivation, ideology or otherwise,” he said.

Cauchi had recently moved to NSW’s capital, Sydney, from neighbouring Queensland. The police said they had searched a small storage facility he had been renting but found no major evidence to indicate an attack was coming.

He was diagnosed with mental health issues when he was 17 and had been in contact with the police frequently in the past four to five years, said AC Lowe. Cauchi had not been arrested or charged with any crime in Queensland.

He led an itinerant lifestyle, had recently been sleeping in his car and had only infrequently stayed in touch with his mother via text messages, said AC Lowe.

Attacks such as April 13’s stabbing are rare in Australia, a country of about 26 million people with some of the world’s toughest gun and knife laws.

Tributes grow

Five of the six victims killed were women, and a number of people including a nine-month-old baby were taken to hospital with stab wounds, the police said on April 14.

The baby was in a serious but stable condition. The mother Ashlee Good died in hospital from her injuries, her family said in a statement.

Mr Faraz Tahir, a 30-year-old security guard at the mall who was the sole man killed in the attack, arrived in the country in 2023 as a refugee from Pakistan, according to a statement from the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community of Australia, to which he belonged.

There was a heavy police presence on April 14 at the mall, which was closed to shoppers, with nearby streets cordoned off. A mound of floral tributes to the victims began to grow, with mourners arriving every few minutes.

“The individual stories of those who have been killed, the complete strangers rushing in to help, as well as acts of courage and bravery mean that – whether you know the individuals who have been killed or not – you’re grieving today,” said NSW Premier Chris Minns.

“The entire state will get behind those families in the days ahead as they recover and go through the inevitable grief of such a horrifying event.”

Britain’s King Charles, Australia’s head of state, said in reference to the attacks: “Our hearts go out to the families and loved ones of those who have been so brutally killed during such a senseless attack.”

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said he had received condolence messages from all over the globe, adding that the attack had highlighted the bravery of ordinary citizens.

“We have seen the footage of ordinary Australians putting themselves in harm’s way in order to help their fellow citizens. That bravery was quite extraordinary... it’s the best of Australians amidst this tragedy,” he said on April 14. REUTERS